The US War Department on Friday released the first batch of secret files documenting reported sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) – some dating back to the 1940s – fueling speculation about whether extraterrestrial life exists.
US President Donald Trump took to X to announce the release of these “secret” files. He wrote on TRUTH Social: “As for my promise to you, the War Department has released the first tranche of UFO/UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) files for the public to review and study.
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“In pursuit of full and maximum transparency, I have been honored to direct my administration to identify and provide government files on extraterrestrial and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena and unidentified flying objects,” Trump said.
He added: “While previous administrations have failed to be transparent on this topic, with these new documents and videos the people can decide for themselves WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Have fun and enjoy!”
The ministry said that additional files would be released by the War Department on an ongoing basis.
With access to the files, the American people now have “immediate access to the federal government’s declassified UAP files,” the department said.
The latest UAP videos, photos, and original source documents from across the United States government are in one place—no permission required.
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What’s in a UFO file?
As many as 161 files have been published on the website of the Ministry of Defense, which officially refers to UFOs as “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena”, or UAP.
Reports of flying saucers and discs and sightings of a “Lord of the Rings” glowing orange orb are among the incidents in files that come from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the State Department, NASA and the Pentagon.
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It also included one image that showed “U.S. Indo-Pacific Command reports UAP resembling football-shaped body near Japan,” and another showing a UAP sighted by the U.S. military in North America in 2026.
The U.S. Army announced UAP in North America in 2026.(US War Department)
An Air Force intelligence report – marked “top secret” – from November of the following year contains information about reported sightings of “unidentified aircraft” and “flying saucers”.
“We have been concerned for some time by the repeated reports of flying saucers,” the document in the file said.
Another file summarizes the statements of seven federal government employees who independently reported “several unidentified anomalous phenomena” in the United States in 2023.
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In another, two federal special agents witnessed a “glowing orange orb … perched near a rock peak.” This account included an artist rendering of a red-orange circle with a yellow stripe in its lower third.
The object has been described as looking “similar to the Eye (of Sauron) from The Lord of the Rings, except without the pupil”.
In March 2024, the Pentagon released a report saying it had no evidence that UAPs were extraterrestrial technology, with many suspected sightings turning out to be just weather balloons, spy planes, satellites, and other common activities.
(With input from the Associated Press)
